This guide provides an accessible overview of what transformational change means in the context of today’s interconnected social, ecological and economic crises.

Aimed at researchers, practitioners and change-makers, the guide explores why superficial improvements are insufficient for addressing challenges such as climate change, inequality, food insecurity and biodiversity loss, and argues instead for deeper systemic shifts in the structures, cultures, mindsets and power dynamics that sustain these problems.

The report introduces transformation as a distinct form of change that goes beyond adjustments and reforms, emphasising the importance of systems thinking, regenerative futures, inner and outer transformation, political agency, and collaborative action across multiple scales.

Through practical frameworks such as Three Horizons, the Iceberg Model, and leverage points approach, as well as examples from food systems and regenerative development, the guide offers conceptual foundations for understanding how more fundamental societal transformations can be envisioned and supported in practice.